Death at a Funeral
Aaron's father's funeral is today at the family home, and everything goes wrong: the funeral home delivers the wrong body, his cousin accidentally drugs her fiancé, and Aaron's successful younger brother, Ryan, flies in from New York, broke but arrogant. To top it all off, a mysterious stranger wants a word with Aaron.
Despite a respectable budget of $21.0M, Death at a Funeral became a commercial success, earning $49.1M worldwide—a 134% return.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Death at a Funeral (2010) demonstrates carefully calibrated narrative architecture, characteristic of Neil LaBute's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 13-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 32 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.2, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Aaron arrives at his childhood home on the morning of his father's funeral, visibly stressed and unprepared to handle the responsibility of organizing the event while living in his successful brother Ryan's shadow.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when A mysterious stranger named Frank arrives claiming to have crucial information about the deceased, demanding to speak with Aaron and threatening to cause a scene at the funeral if ignored.. At 13% through the film, this Disruption is delayed, allowing extended setup of the story world. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 23 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Frank reveals he was the father's secret lover and produces photographs as proof, fundamentally shattering Aaron and Ryan's understanding of their father and forcing them into a new reality of managing this explosive secret during the funeral., moving from reaction to action.
At 47 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 51% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat Frank increases his blackmail demand and threatens to reveal everything during the eulogy. Oscar, fully hallucinating, attacks the coffin believing his father-in-law is alive, causing the casket to crash and the body to be exposed before all the mourners., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 69 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Frank dies suddenly from a Valium overdose after being drugged by the family, creating a literal death at the funeral. Aaron faces the complete collapse of his ability to control the situation and protect his father's memory., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 74 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. The family unites to execute the plan, hiding Frank in the coffin. Aaron delivers a heartfelt eulogy accepting his father as a complex, flawed human being. The funeral concludes with the family battered but together, having survived the ultimate test of dysfunction., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Death at a Funeral's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 13 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Death at a Funeral against these established plot points, we can identify how Neil LaBute utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Death at a Funeral within the comedy genre.
Neil LaBute's Structural Approach
Among the 6 Neil LaBute films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.2, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Death at a Funeral represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Neil LaBute filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Neil LaBute analyses, see The Wicker Man, Lakeview Terrace and Nurse Betty.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Aaron arrives at his childhood home on the morning of his father's funeral, visibly stressed and unprepared to handle the responsibility of organizing the event while living in his successful brother Ryan's shadow.
Theme
Norman tells Aaron that family gatherings bring out everyone's worst behavior, establishing the theme that family dysfunction and secrets will be exposed under the pressure of grief and forced togetherness.
Worldbuilding
Introduction of the dysfunctional family dynamics: Ryan arrives late and self-absorbed, Oscar accidentally takes hallucinogens, Elaine obsesses over control, Jeff brings his volatile girlfriend, and various relatives reveal their quirks and tensions.
Disruption
A mysterious stranger named Frank arrives claiming to have crucial information about the deceased, demanding to speak with Aaron and threatening to cause a scene at the funeral if ignored.
Resistance
Aaron and Ryan debate how to handle Frank while managing escalating chaos: Oscar's drug trip intensifies, the wrong body briefly arrives, Derek attempts to extort money, and family tensions mount as secrets begin surfacing.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Frank reveals he was the father's secret lover and produces photographs as proof, fundamentally shattering Aaron and Ryan's understanding of their father and forcing them into a new reality of managing this explosive secret during the funeral.
Mirror World
Aaron's relationship with his wife Michelle represents the honest, loving partnership he needs to embrace, contrasting with the lies and secrets that have defined his family, particularly his father's hidden life.
Premise
The funeral descends into controlled chaos as Aaron and Ryan attempt to keep Frank quiet, Oscar hallucinates increasingly bizarre scenarios, Uncle Russell feuds with Norman, Derek demands blackmail money, and the family tries desperately to maintain appearances.
Midpoint
Frank increases his blackmail demand and threatens to reveal everything during the eulogy. Oscar, fully hallucinating, attacks the coffin believing his father-in-law is alive, causing the casket to crash and the body to be exposed before all the mourners.
Opposition
Everything spirals further out of control: the brothers attempt to raise blackmail money, Oscar climbs onto the roof naked, family fights escalate, and Aaron struggles with his inadequacy and resentment toward Ryan while trying to protect their mother from the truth.
Collapse
Frank dies suddenly from a Valium overdose after being drugged by the family, creating a literal death at the funeral. Aaron faces the complete collapse of his ability to control the situation and protect his father's memory.
Crisis
Aaron and the family grapple with what to do with Frank's body, debating whether to call police or hide the death. Aaron confronts his inability to handle the pressure and his feelings of inadequacy compared to Ryan.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
The family unites to execute the plan, hiding Frank in the coffin. Aaron delivers a heartfelt eulogy accepting his father as a complex, flawed human being. The funeral concludes with the family battered but together, having survived the ultimate test of dysfunction.